The Immortal Hydra
by iampotterlocked
Summary: When Akiko Kimura is seconds away from death in Central City Bay, the particle accelerator explodes, leaving her changed forever. Living in a changed world with powers she doesn't fully understand, Aki has to come to terms with what it means to be a metahuman and what it means to be herself. Rated T for mentions of suicide and depression.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! this is my fanfiction for The Flash! if you like this story, let me know your thoughts, and I'll keep updating this. Happy reading!**

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I felt like I was suffocating. That feeling hadn't gone away in ages, and I'd finally reached my tipping point.

Today was the day I was going to kill myself.

Was I terrified? Oh hell yes.

But I was looking forward to it. It wasn't necessarily that I wanted to die, but the fact that I was so tired of living, or doing whatever I'd been doing. Going to school, the pressure of getting a better job, always needing to be the perfect child, never talking back, hating myself for never having the courage to stand up for myself, all those things exhausted me. I knew that I also probably had enough symptoms to call for a diagnosis of depression, but the one time I brought it up with my mother, she screamed at me to stop being weak and grow out of it. That's when I decided-there was no way out of the hamster wheel of my life except death, I supposed. So I had everything planned out to perfection. The three prescription strength painkillers I got off a guy on the street were in a tissue in my purse. And at eight in the evening, I was going to swallow all three at the same time, strip naked, and walk into the Central City Bay and drown.

The fact that I had a plan was calming, in a way. I had an out that was planned and perfect.

So that day, I decided to live my last day of life like, well, it was my last day of life. I skipped my classes, something I'd never done before, and called in sick to work at the nursing home where I spent many hours working as a nursing assistant and phlebotomist. Instead, I spent the morning at the library, immersing myself in slightly trashy romance books. I wondered briefly if I should call Vincent, the one person in the world who could technically fall into the category of friend, (not actively hating him and seeing him about once a year for the past four years had to count for something, right?) but decided against it. He hadn't made any contact with me whatsoever for months, and I supposed that meant he was no longer interested. Around lunch I went to a little café I sometimes went to and bought myself a soda and turkey and cranberry sandwich. Some people thought the combination was disgusting, but I didn't. It was like thanksgiving dinner between two slices of bread, and I wanted to profusely thank the person who made it. I spent time savoring it, and enjoying it, something I didn't usually do because I was in such a rush.

Funny how planning my death made me appreciate life.

The afternoon was full of possibilities, so I did what any girl would do, and window shopped. There are dozens of little boutiques on Main Street, and I wandered down them, looking at the pretty dresses and stuffed animals that seemed to be overflowing on the window displays. There was true excitement in the air, anyone paying attention could feel the buzz of energy that settled over the city like a cloud. STAR Labs, a world famous science center that sat right in the middle of the city was going to turn on the particle accelerator. I wasn't too sure about what it did, exactly, but I knew that it was going to be huge. Traffic was a mess, with news vans making up half of the visitors to Main Street. Reporters were flying around everywhere, talking loudly to people on the phone and with a following of frazzled camera crew trailing behind them.

I paused when I saw the dress hanging in the window. It looked very lonely, and quite sad, but I knew in that moment that I needed to try it on. I opened the door to the shop, noticing the "going out of business!" sign, and looked around. It was mostly empty, with the exception of some clothes, candles, and other knick knacks.

"Can I help you?" an elderly woman asked behind the counter.

"May I try on that dress?" I asked timidly. That was another thing I hated about myself. I could never talk to strangers without fear.

"Of course!" she said with a motherly smile.

I nodded awkwardly and browed the dwindling pile of dresses until I found two that looked like it could fit. Slipping into a dressing room, I avoided looking into a mirror until the dress was on me. Taking a deep breath, I turned around and faced my reflection. I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw. The dress fell down to my shins, and had sleeves that ended at my elbow. The deep blue actually made my hair, which was a boring chocolate brown, look shiny and pretty. The neckline was a bit deeper than what I usually went for, but it looked perfect. That's when I decided that this had to be the dress I was going to die in. smiling to myself, I changed my clothes and folded the dress neatly before exiting the dressing room.

"Did you like it?" the woman asked.

I smiled, or tried to force the ends of my lips up. "Yes, I did," I said. "I'd like to purchase it, how much?" I set it on the counter and started for my wallet.

"Take it," she said suddenly, her eyes piercing me.

"What?" I asked.

"It's yours, take it, please," she repeated.

"Why?" I asked the only question that came to mind in the strange turn of events.

"Because you remind me of my granddaughter," was all she said. After a short pause she elaborated. "You two have the same smile."

I found that odd. "I don't smile much," I informed her. I had no idea why I said that.

She nodded, looking off into the distance. "She didn't either. Please, go."

I exited the shop still confused about what happened. The traffic hadn't slowed down one bit, and I had to fight through the crowd in order to get to a coffee shop for my afternoon break. If there was one thing that every person in central city could agree on, it was that independently owned coffee shops were important. Starbucks had tried to buy land a few years ago, but they were kicked out quickly. There were three main shops, Jitters, Marge's, and Sugar Rush. Marge's catered to mostly high end clients, with things on the menu that were exotic, or sounded downright inedible. Sugar Rush and Jitters were for the average humans on the planet. While I passed Jitters, I saw that it was full to bursting and people were crowded around the TV, watching the news, so I decided to move on. Sugar Rush was a larger building, because it was a bakery and coffee shop combined into one storefront. It was quite full, but there was a short line. On a whim, I bought myself a slice of apple pie and chocolate cake, and a creamy latte with extra whipped cream and chocolate syrup, just the way I liked it. I made a promise to myself to only eat sweets for the rest of the day.

By the time I stepped out of Sugar Rush it was dark and slightly breezy. There was a throng of people on the sidewalk, holding signs.

"Stop the accelerator!" one woman screamed. The crowd cheered in support.

"Excuse me," I muttered and tried to push my way through without causing myself or anyone else bodily injury.

A flyer was rudely shoved in my face, and I started shoving my way through the crowd, taking a deep breath once I got out the other side of the crowd. My glasses were smeared with fingerprints, and I had to spend a few moments catching my breath.

"Are you alright?" someone asked.

I continued cleaning my glasses, guessing the person was talking to someone else. But when a hand touched my shoulder I jumped.

"Are you alright?" the man repeated.

I nodded mutely.

"I don't understand why they want to stop it," he said, oblivious to my discomfort. I hardly ever talked to strangers except at work or when ordering food, so I hoped that nodding enough times would drop the conversation. "It's groundbreaking! Revolutionary! How could anyone want to not do this? Think of the possibilities, the lives this could change," he trailed off.

I took the opportunity and bolted. I walked down the street quickly and kept my head down, battling my way through the thickening crowd. Ducking into an alley, I calmed my breathing and smoothed out imaginary wrinkles in my shirt. Just at that moment something cold and slimy crawled down my back. I opened my mouth to scream, but then realized that it was raining. It was raining very, very hard. People started moving faster to get under shelter, umbrellas were deployed and there were shrieks both of surprise and laughter.

I zipped up my jacket and kept moving. The wind picked up, and now the rain was falling sideways, making me wonder why I ever bother cleaning my glasses anymore. Not caring where I was going, I stepped into a small bookstore to wait out the rain. Some other people were there, and the woman behind the counter smiled.

"Getting out of the rain?" she asked. "You're the tenth person in five minutes. I'll say, it's good for business."

"I bet," I offered, and sat down in a chair. For something to do, I pulled out my phone and immediately saw the texts and voicemails from my mom. Every single one of them demanded that I call her, come home, pick up groceries, and call her immediately, and that if I dared talk back to her or not do as she says all hell would break loose. I paused for a moment, then deleted everything from my phone. There was no love lost between my mother and I. she always reminded me that I was a mistake and burden for as long as I could remember. Is it any wonder that I'd dreamt, and now had a plan of escaping that?

The moment the rain stopped I ran to the nearest bakery and got myself a slice of three layer chocolate cake with mint whipped cream filling and a ganache topping with a cup of coffee. It was nearing seven when I finished, and I gave the waitress an extra tip and started walking down to the bay. The rain had slowed down a little but the wind was still bitterly cold, and there were even bolts of lightning lighting up the sky at random moments. I walked faster to the water, and I saw that looking around, there were no people loitering around. A couple people were walking toward the city, but I was the only one walking away from it. I checked my watch, and saw that it was 7:50. I took the three pills from my pocket and quickly swallowed them all with a swig of water. They tasted funny going down my throat, but I drank some more water and it went away.

Slowly, I took off my shoes and socks, and put them in a pile next to a large piece of driftwood. I peeled my jeans off, folding those as well. My shirt was next, and taking that off was the most difficult, because it was freezing. But I did what I had to do, and folded that as well. I put the dress on, and tied my hair back and started walking into the water. The rocks dug into my feet, but I refused to stop walking. Higher and higher the water rose around me, hitting my ankles, the hem of the dress, then my knees, waist, chest, and neck. I rolled onto my back, shivering violently. Even though I was terrified, I felt right. I was doing the right thing. I couldn't feel anything from the waist down, my arms were prickling, but even that was fading. Suddenly there was a huge clap of thunder, louder than I'd ever heard anything.

Some people argue that humans have a sixth sense, instinct, if you will. That sick twisting of your gut when you know something is wrong, terribly, terribly wrong, but can't put your finger on it. I gasped, dragging cold air into my even colder lungs and tried to fight the nausea. For some insane reason I righted myself with effort, and looked around. Time seemed to flow unevenly. It felt like my ears were clogged with cotton, but I chalked that up to me being mostly dead already. Suddenly the water around me started rising. Not up the coast, but up, as in, vertically. It seemed like I was trapped in some odd other dimension, and I just watched this happen while not actually caring that it was happening. Looking toward the city, I saw a ripple in the air, like the particles were moving in a strange pattern.

And it was coming straight for me.

I knew logically that there was nothing I could do, that I would probably die from this, whatever it was, but that didn't stop me from throwing my arms up to protect my face. See what I said about instinct? When the wave hit me, it felt, truly, like death itself. I couldn't breathe, black dots were dancing around my field of vision, and I couldn't unlock my frozen muscles. When the wave of air passed through me and continued, I stayed frozen. I felt as though my entire body was different now. I felt like I was buzzing, and I was no longer freezing cold. It felt as though every small part of me was changed somehow. But I didn't pay much attention to it, because at that moment, either the painkillers hit or I just stopped being able to comprehend what happened, because I passed out and fell back into the water.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello! Here's chapter two, and of course, please leave me reviews to give feedback on the story so far, I really appreciate it! Thank you and happy reading!**

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There was pressure on my legs and arms, and there was a strange fuzzy noise that I tried to block out. My head was rolled to the side, sending stabbing pain down my back. I groaned, but my throat was caked in salt water, so all that really happened was air forced out of my lungs and burning me on the way out. I felt as though I was floating, and half of me really cared about what was going on, but the other half, the half that won, didn't give a shit. So what? Who cared about me? Nobody, and nobody ever will.

Someone yelled something, and the pressure on my arms and legs grew until I wanted to scream. But for some reason I still couldn't bring myself to care. There was something hard pressed on my face, and I realized I could breathe with less pain. Realizing that made me want to cry, because I wasn't supposed to breathe, I was supposed to be dead, dead people don't breathe but I didn't care, wouldn't care, couldn't care, and then I passed out yet again.

I woke up when the burning started. My eyes snapped open, and I jerked my limbs uncontrollably. The bright lights blinded me and I closed my eyes right away.

"Sh, shh, you're alright," a woman's voice said soothingly. "Lower the temp, she's colder than we thought."

A strangled sound was ripped out of me, and I twisted every which way in order to get out. But I realized that I was stark naked and in a metal bathtub full of scalding hot water. I screamed again from the pain of the bright lights and the burning of the water. A small part of me wondered if this is what animals caught in a trap felt like. There was only one way out and I grasped it greedily by smacking the back of my head on the metal tub and feeling nothing but the dull pain and sense of relief as the darkness came back.

When I came to I realized what had happened to me. The bright lights, the beeping monitor, all that meant I was in the hospital. And I wasn't dead. I sighed. Oh well, there was always next time. But what bothered me most was the fact that I'd spent all that time planning something only to have it go so wrong. The story of my life, I thought to myself darkly. My head was pounding, the room was spinning, and I felt vaguely nauseous and tired.

"Oh, you're awake, I'll change the hot water bottles, is that alright?" a cheery woman walked into the room.

I sighed, and stared at the ceiling as she peeled back my covers and took away the hot water bottle that covered my stomach. I missed its warmth, then immediately wanted to slap myself for wanting such a stupid thing.

"You gave us quite the scare yesterday," the nurse said. "How are you feeling this morning? Your heart stopped beating twice last night." She said this like this information was the key to everything in the world.

I looked down at myself and saw the thin hospital gown. "Dress?" I croaked out.

"Oh the dress you came in with? I'm so sorry, we couldn't save it, it was muddy and ripped to shreds, I'm so sorry," she said again.

I sighed and went back to staring at the ceiling, only moving my arms dutifully when she came to put the bottle back on my stomach. She covered me back up with the blanket.

"Would you like a drink of water?"

Water. I could think of nothing else now she mentioned it. I nodded eagerly and she smiled. "I'm sure you're parched," she said and held the cup up to my lips. I couldn't move my left hand because it was strapped down with an IV in it, but I grabbed the cup and drained it in a few gulps, feeling much better after a few moments. My headache eased, and the room stopped spinning so much.

"Goodness," she said.

"More?" I croaked.

"We really shouldn't. You might vomit, but in about an hour, hour and a half, yeah?" she asked.

I nodded. I was a nursing assistant so we had to learn basic first aid, and I knew that starving or dehydrated people shouldn't drink or eat too much or too fast, but all I could think of was water. I was alone in the room with nothing to do, so I turned on the TV. I was immediately bombarded with images from the particle accelerator. It was awful, but there was really nothing that could be done. Mistakes were made, that was that. But turning on the news showed me that I'd been in the hospital for two days. I glanced around the room and saw that someone had kindly put my waterlogged phone and purse in a bucket next to my bed. I muted the TV and blankly watched the first responders scurry back and forth, trying to save people that were hurt. Apparently there was a stampede, and many people were in the hospital now or had been released later.

A knock at the door caught my attention, and I turned my head to see a man walk in, smiling broadly. "Akiko Kimura?" he asked.

I sighed at the mangling of my name. He said "Ky-mur-ah" instead of "kee-mu-ra" but I couldn't be bothered to spell it out for him.

"yes, well, I'm doctor Williams, and I'm a psychiatrist," he said this in a tone of voice that made it obvious he had no idea that he was wearing an ID card with the word "PSYCHIATRIST" written on it in bold letters.

I sighed again.

"Do you know why you're in here?" he asked gently. He spoke to me like a child, with pauses between the words and looking at me closely to see if I understood his words. People did this to me all the time, it was one of the hazards of being half Japanese in a place like Central City. I didn't speak a word of Japanese because my grandmother never taught my mother anything, and my mother had nothing to teach me.

I stared at the ceiling.

"You tried to kill yourself," he continued.

"Really? I had no idea," I told him in my croaky deadpan voice.

"Yes, well," he said, flustered that I was being sarcastic to him. "We need to perform a psychological exam, make sure everything's alright."

I was silent, and simply planned everything. I could lie, something I was very good at, and tell him what he wanted to hear. Oh doctor, I'm so much better! I've seen the light! A near death experience made me a better person, I'm not suicidal anymore! Of course I knew I couldn't say those words in the dramatic voice I wanted to, but still, I had to give it a shot, right?

"Is everything alright? I mean, I'm sure that…well…you know… people of your decent get very stressed out about schoolwork…" he said.

Oh goody. I skewered him with a glare so hard he retreated a couple steps.

"Watch your mouth," I whispered to him. "You wouldn't want to lose your job because of racial profiling, would you?"

"I just…" he said.

"Get. Out." I turned the TV back on as loud as it will go and watched him scurry away. That was the last time I saw a psychologist.

I was released the next day, and one of the nurses was kind enough to drop me off at my house. I sipped from a water bottle the entire way there. For some reason I wasn't hungry, but the water helped calm my nerves.

"Here's fine," I said.

She slowed the car, and let me out with a cheery "have a nice day!"

It was pouring rain so I don't know what she was talking about.

I trudged to my house, while getting soaked in the thin clothes the hospital provided me. For some reason I wasn't cold, and I stopped outside the front door and raised my face to the droplets of water raining down. I could suddenly feel every one, sliding down my skin, the tingling trail they left. My mind went blessedly blank, and I rolled up the sleeves of my shirt to expose my forearms to the water. The drops collected on my skin and dripped down my fingers, and it was so perfect I was surprised that I ever found the rain disappointing. My skin felt as though it was too tight for my body, and my breath came in gasps. For the first time in years I felt a sense of pure, complete joy and happiness. A smile cracked across my face and I closed my eyes and savored the moment. I was warm, almost uncomfortably warm, but it was perfect.

But nothing good ever lasts forever.

Pain shot across my scalp as I was dragged back by my hair and came face to face with the cold eyes of my mother.

"Where have you been, you idiot?" she asked while dragging me into the house. There was no way anything escaped the house. She was a bitch, but smart.

"The particle accelerator exploded, and I was caught in a crowd," I said. The lie was easy.

"And you didn't tell me?" she asked. The slap across my face was quick and sharp.

"My phone was crushed," I said.

The other side of my face was slapped as well. This was nothing new. I could always float away during this. She never fully beat me, but she would cut me down with words so I felt as though I was nothing. While she was berating me, I did some thinking of my own. Maybe I didn't die for a reason. I probably wouldn't try to kill myself again. But I would have my revenge. The twisted and angry part of me made more sense now. I wasn't supposed to take it out on myself, but on her. I would hurt her. I smiled on the inside and made my plan.

"You do your work," she finished her lecture by snapping at me as she grabbed her coat. I wondered briefly where she was going but didn't ask. I needed to be patient.

I spent the rest of the day finishing housework and homework. The only thing that truly unnerved me was the fact that I never felt hungry. Not once. I drank about a gallon of water, but chalked that up to being dehydrated from the salt water in the bay. I made note of it, but decided to wait a few days before I talked to anyone about it. It'd probably pass.

My mother stomped into the house in the late evening. "Sit, its dinner," she said.

"I'm not feeling very hungry," I said.

"Sit, please," she said tenderly.

I hated this about her more than anything. When she was nice, it was disgusting. When I was younger, the times she was nice filled me up with hope, but now they made me furious. It was like she was playing a game with me, one that I could never win. Of course, I never showed my anger, I just kept it locked up inside me and didn't say a word.

I sat as she reheated the lasagna in the fridge and set down a glass of juice in front of me.

"So, how's work?" she asked conversationally.

"It's good," I said. I met her eyes and saw her smiling and bubbly. When she was in this mood I realized a long time ago that she hated it if I acted the way I usually did around her. So I slipped into Polite Akiko mode and made up a story about an old lady meeting her grandchild for the first time. She laughed in all the right parts and finished her food while I picked at mine.

"You should eat," she said gently. I stabbed a large piece with my fork while imagining it was her eye instead. I choked it down and swallowed, shuddering inwardly at the lump that was in my stomach. I took two more bites before I couldn't take anymore. I bolted to the bathroom and threw everything up.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

Thank god I'd locked the door behind me. I continued hacking until everything was gone. When I could, I staggered to my feet and washed my face and rinsed out my mouth. Before I knew it I was gulping down the water that was coming out of the faucet.

"I'm fine," I said. "Must just be a stomach bug."

I continued drinking until I felt as though as I would burst.

"Well you should go to sleep and get some rest," she said.

"I will," I said. I washed my face one final time and slid down the wall. I felt fine physically, but I was scared out of my mind.

What was happening to me?


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's chapter three! So sorry I haven't been updating my other stories, school is kicking my butt but graduation is around the corner! this will be the last chapter for a while, I really do want to work on my other stories, but don't worry, I won't give up on this story, and I'll jot down ideas when I get them.**

**Happy Reading!**

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After the lasagna incident I made sure to hide the fact that I could no longer eat any sort of solid foods. I tested theories and found out that I could drink liquids, such as smoothies, sports drinks, and milkshakes, but solid foods were out of the question. I spent all of my free time researching what could've happened to me. Many psychologists said that stress could lead to vomiting, but it wasn't the vomiting, it was the fact that I had absolutely no appetite for any solid foods whatsoever. Now water, I could drink all day and still want more. So I gave my coworkers excuses like "oh no, I'm not hungry, I just ate a really big breakfast," and I gave my mother (on the off chance she actually seemed to care about me and my health) the excuse that I'd eaten after work at the cafeteria.

I was putting the final touches on my plan to leave my mother forever. I'd secured a roommate, a college student named Rachel who wanted a cheap place to split rent and utilities. And the tiny apartment was close to the hospital- a bigger plus. Once I graduated with my Licensed Practical Nursing certificate, I'd be earning twice what I'd earned as a nursing assistant but as a full time employee. The extra money would help, of course. I'd also been secretly saving whatever pay I could for the past two years, so I had a small cushion while I could find myself a new job.

As the winter quarter drew closer to finishing, I was closer than ever to graduating. I had found myself a job at the outpatient portion of the hospital, and they were very impressed with my work beforehand, so they even offered to pay me a few thousand a year more than what the job was listed as.

Slowly, secretly I began folding my clothes and putting them in piles that could easily be thrown in the small suitcase, duffel bag and backpack that I owned. Most of my belongings were clothes and medical supplies. One night when I was eleven I remember my mother burning all of our family pictures. Because of this, I had no photos of me as a child. My father was nonexistent, my grandmother a mostly forgotten memory.

The only thing I was not looking forward to was my roommate, because she was bright, bubbly, and much too talkative for my tastes. But I just had to nod absentmindedly at the right parts and she'd carry the conversation herself.

It was a cold, rainy day in late March when I was slipping out of the house at one in the morning for good. I had called a taxi, and once I had closed the door behind me, I bolted, throwing everything into the backseat and rattling off my new address.

"Someone's in a hurry," the cabbie remarked dryly.

"Yes, I am, now move!" I snapped.

He did, and I was at the apartment in a half hour. I unlocked the door and turned on the lights while shaking myself off and closing the door behind me. The idea that I had finally done it, done something I could be proud of myself for, overwhelmed me. I started laughing for the first time in years, the noise filling up the small common area next to the kitchen. I dragged myself over to my room and busied myself with making my bed. I only had time for about six hours of sleep before my shift at the hospital started.

That morning one of the best sounds in the world was my alarm going off. I woke up, drank about a gallon of water while getting ready for the day, and filled up a tall bottle for the walk to the hospital. I'd realized about halfway through the quick walk that I'd set my alarm too early, because I was used to a longer commute instead of a short walk. I was trying to calculate the time I'd set my alarm the next day that would allow me to get the maximum amount of sleep yet

"Hey!" I heard a voice call. But I didn't pay any attention, still trying to figure out exactly what time I'd need to set my alarm in order to get the most sleep and get to work on time.

"I said, 'hey!'" the voice said more loudly next to my ear. The next think I knew I was being shoved back into the wall of a building, the breath knocked out of my lungs. The telltale dilated pupils of a drug addict stared back at me. His breath stank with the stench of his rotting teeth. I wrinkled my nose and looked away.

"What? I don't even know you!" I said.

"No, but why don't you give me that little purse of yours?" he said.

My little purse only had twenty dollars and some breath mints. Everything else, such as my driver's license and ID card for the hospital, were in my pockets.

"Seriously? Dude, I literally just got out of a hellhole, and you're doing this to me now?" I asked.

He stepped back and brandished a knife in his left hand. It wasn't big, only about two or three inches long, but still. Gulp.

"Not so talky now, are you?" he said, then lunged for my strap.

Instinctively I bent my arm up and jerked back. His hand arced over and sliced off my entire left hand.

I screeched like a banshee, looking at my stump of an arm for a moment before cradling what was left of it to my body. The druggie ran off without my purse, his footfalls echoing in the distance.

"Oh my god oh my god," I kept muttering to myself fighting off the panic and nausea. Thank goodness I was only a few hundred yards from the hospital. My first aid classes always taught that if a limb was amputated you needed to take the limb and yourself to a hospital, and get it sewn back on as quickly as possible. In the dim morning light I swallowed loudly and searched for my hand, peering at everything within a ten foot radius. Nothing. Was I hallucinating? That knife was in no way big enough to cut through bone!

Oh no, that druggie couldn't have stolen my hand, could he? What was he, some sort of sicko that sold organs on the black market? But no, he couldn't have. He ran away as soon as I screamed. I only saw the look on his face for a moment, but he was terrified.

Breathe, breathe, I reminded myself. Work through the pain.

The pain?

My hand was gone, and there was absolutely no pain? I froze, my eyes widening. Unless I was undergoing a severe case of neural fatigue, I should have been in excruciating pain. But instead, I felt, nothing. Looking down, and all around me, I saw that there was absolutely no blood. There should be tons of blood, but not one single drop was anywhere. Steeling myself, I raised both of my arms above my head. I stared at my stomach, where I was cradling my arm, there was no blood on my jacket whatsoever. I touched it with my right hand, and saw that it was perfectly dry.

But as odd as everything was, I still had to find my hand. I stepped into the general area where the guy sliced off my hand, and got in the same positon. Left shoulder jerked back, left hand coming up, and at that positon I looked toward the ground, where my hand should've fallen. There was nothing there but a puddle of water. For some reason, I bent down and studied the puddle. This street was mostly covered, so why was there a puddle of water, _right where my hand should've fallen?_

I gingerly knelt down to the puddle, instinct pulling me closer. I took a deep breath, placed my forearm on the ground, and closed my eyes…

And when I opened them I had two hands again, and a fading warmth in my fingertips. I reeled back, slamming myself into the wall of the building. Staring at my hands, I turned them over, flexed every finger, touched every finger to my thumb, clenched them into fists, and saw that everything was normal.

I picked up my purse and hurried my way to work, still in shock over what happened, and vowing that I would get to the bottom of it.

My work day passed quickly. Mostly I had to meet my fellow teammates, learn the layout of the hospital, and learn the procedures the hospital wanted. The other nurses were nice, and thankfully nobody objected to me constantly sipping water throughout the day. In fact, many congratulated me for it, and said that I was a reminder to everyone about "the importance of consuming fluids."

At lunch I splurged and bought myself a chocolate milkshake, and drank that instead. I was really missing food, but I was careful to not eat any solid foods. The memory of the lasagna incident still made me shiver.

When I finished my shift in the late evening, I rushed home, careful to not get caught in a crowd or anyone who looked suspicious. When I got off the elevator and opened the door I saw that that Rachel had started moving in as well. I saw that her room was filled with posters of movie stars and rock bands. My walls, on the other hand were bare. She was playing some sort of pop music, but thankfully wasn't playing anything too loud.

"Hey! I saw you were here already!" she bounded over to me with arms outstretched. I put my hands up.

"I'm not feeling to well," I said, making sure my voice sounded slightly nasally.

She backed away immediately. She was terrified of germs, and told me so on the first time we met. "Oh no! Well get better soon, I have to go to work now, actually."

I nodded, moving to my room and setting down my new pack of supplies the hospital issued me and taking off my jacket. The door closed and locked behind her and I sprang into action, finally getting the privacy I'd needed all day. I shoved a chair underneath the door handle, so I'd at least have some warning if she tried to get back inside. I needed to recreate exactly what happened this morning. Getting a bucket and a short knife from the kitchen, I hurried to my room and sat in the one chair I had. Taking a deep breath, I slid the bucket closer and put my left foot in it. I examined my leg, feeling the muscle and skin, poking and prodding. Everything felt normal, I could rotate and extend my ankles, toes, and knee. With another deep breath I pressed the flat of the knife blade halfway between my knee and ankle. Making sure my eyes were wide open, I twisted the blade slowly so it pricked my skin.

My leg fell away, just as my arm had.

A small scream was torn from me before I could stuff it down. But again, as before, there was no pain, no blood. I waved my hand underneath my leg, making sure there was nothing there. After my hand passed through air, I picked up the bucket and examined it. There was a puddle of water, just like my arm.

"Oh god," I whispered, feeling myself on the edge of hyperventilating.

Holding the bucket tightly in my hands I forced myself to take deep breaths while looking at the remnants of my leg. How do I put it back? I gingerly placed the bucket down and dipped the stump of my leg into the puddle. There was a feeling in my gut, like I was falling, and I saw the water rise up, attach to my limb, and form my foot. The thing was, it was clear, still water. I imagined my leg, the feel of it, the movement, and saw the skin from the part of my leg that hadn't fallen off grow outward, covering my leg until it was back to normal.

I fell back against the chair. As disgusting as amputating and growing back a limb was, I had bigger things to focus on. I could turn myself into water. Obviously something changed around the time I was going to kill myself. I'd been drinking water nonstop, stopped being able to eat solid foods, and now…this. Fantastic. Great.

Hauling myself up on unsteady legs I hobbled to the bathroom, foolishly favoring my right leg. I rinsed my face with cold water, focusing on not passing out. I needed time to come to terms with this, whatever it was. When I looked at myself in the mirror for the first time in my life I couldn't even recognize myself anymore.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the wait between updates! as you all can see, I've changed the title for reasons that are for me to know and for you to find out much later in this book. Some reviews keep asking when Akiko is going to go to STAR Labs, and I can say that it will be within the next two or three chapters, I don't have much set in stone at the moment. Thanks for reading! **

* * *

The thing about working in a hospital is that you get sick. The first six months are the worst, with what seems to be alternating flues and colds. After the six months are up it seems that your body would build up a bit of an immune defense and you don't get sick that often.

It was a miracle that I'd gone for two months at the hospital without a flu, but it seemed as though my time was up. At first I wondered if my inability to get sick was because of my...new feature, but the thought was too terrifying to contemplate so I simply put it out of my mind and made myself think it was because of my good hand washing techniques.

I was finishing up a patient's chart when the room tilted at an odd angle and my head suddenly felt as though it was breaking open. My skin broke out in a cold sweat, and I focused on taking deep calming breaths while cradling my head in my hands.

"Loraine?" I called into the hallway. She was the head of our team, a kind and elderly woman who had been a nurse for years.

"Yes dear?" she asked, walking into the room and taking one look at me she sent me home immediately. She even offered to walk me herself, but I staunchly refused. She sent me off with a kind "take all the time you need dear, for you and our patients."

Rachel was probably still in class, so I staggered unnoticed to my room and locked the door. I felt as though I was burning up from the inside out and if unthinkingly stripped off my scrubs and dumped them near my door. I fell into the bed and into a fitful sleep. When I woke up two hours later my breaths were coming in gasps and my throat was parched. I practically crawled to the attached bathroom and stuck my face under the sink and let the cool water run over my face. I was there, crouching under the faucet for what seemed like an hour before I felt strong enough to go back to bed. I turned away from the sink and stood on unsteady legs. I took a step forward and fell down, hitting the floor hard.

The air was knocked out of me and tears pricked my eyes.

Then I realized I couldn't feel my legs.

I gasped and rolled on my back, scrambling so I was sitting up and could see my legs. They looked like they were dissolving into thin air, and it was crawling up to the rest of me. I fell down because I had no legs to support me whatsoever. Fear like I never felt before was the only emotion I knew at that moment. I reached down to claw at my legs only to find that my arms were going too. It was going faster now, my wrists, elbows, and shoulders dissolving into thin air. I tried to scream but by then it was too late, and I was gone.

Humans are animals. That much is undisputed fact. We hunt, fight, and kill, just like the rest of them. We have developed higher level thinking, for example, writing, storytelling, speech, an understanding of math and science. But that does not take away from the fact that we are all animals. There is that part of our minds, primal and terrifying, and we all possess it.

When I evaporated, exploded, whatever the word was, I still had a consciousness. I could remember what had happened, I knew I was alive, but I couldn't logically understand it. People don't explode. It just doesn't happen. And yet I did. And I knew, in the animalistic part of my mind that this was reversible. I just didn't know how. I could remember how the room looked, where things were, and where I was last, but I couldn't actually see anything.

There was no sense of time passing, and I felt no pain. But I was still scared, running in circles. The human part of my mind was the one doing that. I knew I needed to stop, so after what felt like an eternity I could calm down enough. There was no light, no darkness. There was simply nothing. I felt like nothing. I could disappear, I could

"No!" I thought. I had to get back, I had to. My life was just turning around, who knew what I could do if I had a few more years? I needed to get back, needed it more than I ever needed anything else. Reaching out in my consciousness, I could...feel...myself. It was strange; there was no touch, just a sense of "that's me" that I could reach out to. I grabbed onto it with all my might, holding onto it tighter and tighter. I clutched onto myself so tightly that I felt myself bruise, if that didn't sound strange, but that was the only way I could explain what it felt like. I could feel myself falling away and then suddenly with a snap my eyes opened.

I wasn't winded, and when I held up the stumps of my arms I could see them reforming.

"Akiko? You back yet?" Rachel called.

I urged it to go faster, and strangely enough, my arms and legs were reformed within seconds. "I'm here!" I called out. I forced myself to stand up and open the door.

"Hey you're early!" she said. She was very chipper, and although I wasn't a deliriously happy person myself, I was glad she had some things to smile about. "I was wondering if you'd like to go out for drinks with some friends." She finished with a dazzling smile.

"I'm not 21 for another few months, but thanks," I said.

"Really, I could've sworn…" she trailed off. "Well tell me your birthday and I'll buy you a drink," she said. She held up her phone expectantly and it took me a moment to realize that she wanted my birthday as a reminder in her calendar.

"July 27th," I said.

"You know, I know someone with a birthday on the 28th, so I'll be sure not to forget yours!" she said.

"Thanks," I said with what I hoped looked like a smile. "I'm going to go lie down a bit, I just have a headache."

"Get well soon!" she calls after I escape back into my room.

At that moment I'd never been happier that I was such a good actress. At least know I knew I could explode into thin air, come back as good as new and then carry on with my life like nothing happened. That was a good fact to have stored away in my mind. Since I found out that parts of my body could become water, I'd been more careful than ever before. I was filling out paperwork for the hospital when I got a paper cut that made the first joint of my index finger fall off, so I realized that anything sharp could trigger the water reaction. Some part of me wondered if I could turn my entire self into water, but I shut that part down. Things were freaky enough as is, I didn't need anything worse.

After Rachel left I spent my time cleaning up the mess in the kitchen and putting in a load of laundry. I made a mental note to buy myself some more scrubs, I had been working full time for four months and had only three sets. Three sets were fine for going into work four days of the week, but I was working five days a week at least and always picking up shifts for other people for the extra cash. After the dishwasher finished I left it open to air dry and spent a half hour ironing my scrubs and listening to bad pop music on the radio.

I heard Rachel get back around three, giggling to herself and bumping into things. I rolled my eyes but it really didn't bother me. I was asleep within minutes.

Five months later

"Breathe, dammit," I snarled at the lifeless and shirtless woman on the stretcher. "Get me a freaking defibrillator!" I yelled over my shoulder at the mayhem that was the urgent care waiting room turned first aid center. I squeezed the pump for the face mask and watched her chest rise twice before going back to doing chest compressions.

The defibrillator was thrust into my hands and I sighed in relief. I yanked off the woman's bra and put it far away from her upper half. Sticking the pads to her chest I waited for the machine to charge and shock her.

"Pulse not detected. Keep up compressions," the automated voice droned.

"Go fuck yourself," I said under my breath at the machine.

"Akiko, there's nothing to be done," Miranda, a more senior nurse told me before trying to pull my hands from the woman.

"One more shock cycle," I gasped at her before inflating the lungs again. I slammed the button for the defibrillator to charge and raised my arms.

"One of the most difficult parts of nursing is knowing that there might not be-" Miranda tried again before the machine interrupted.

"Pulse detected, no more shocks or compressions required," the automated voice said. "Monitor patient closely."

I let out a weak whoop and tiredly raised my fist in the air while brushing my sweaty bangs out of my face. Miranda was grinning from ear to ear.

"Never listen to me again, do you understand me?" she asked. I nodded, smiling back.

I draped a blanket over the woman's body as she gasped her way to consciousness. Her eyes opened blearily and focused on me. I stopped her before she had a chance to speak.

"Any important allergies or medical conditions? In case you're confused, you've been in a huge pileup on the freeway, and you're in Central City Hospital urgent care," I informed her.

Coughing, she weakly lifted her left hand, showing me her medical bracelet. Allergies to penicillin and ginger, asthmatic, the bracelet read.

"Don't stress yourself out, okay? You're done with the hard part, practically everything from here on out is fixable," I said.

"My leg!" she gasped. She had come in with a bad broken leg, but that came second to the fact that her heart stopped. Now that the first part was fixed the second part was now priority.

"There's a bed open in pediatric intensive care!" Miranda called at me. "Get her there so she'll be prepped for surgery!"

I pushed the woman's stretcher to the elevator and pushed the button for the tenth floor.

"Thank you," the woman rasped at me between moans of pain.

"No problem," I said. "It's what we do."

The doors opened and a nursing assistant was there waiting for me. "It's down the hall, this way," he instructed, guiding her stretcher. There was a flurry of activity and I informed the team waiting of her allergies and asthma.

"Take your break," a nurse practitioner instructed me as they wheeled the woman away.

"I'm needed in wound care," I argued.

"You saved someone's life, take a fifteen minute break, for crying out loud, it won't kill you," she said.

Pushing the elevator button down to the second floor I sighed loudly and cracked my neck. After the elevator doors opened I saw that the waiting room had cleared out quite a bit. Shuffling over to the vending machine I inserted a dollar and pushed the button for a bottle of water. It came out ice cold, and as I sipped it I pressed it against my face and neck. CPR was very physical work, something not shown in movies. And fifteen minutes of nonstop compressions and forced breaths were downright exhausting. Leaning my head back I closed my eyes, promising myself that it'd only be a minute before I opened them again.

When I did open them again it was because of Rachel shaking my shoulder. "It's time to go," she said gently.

"What?" she asked.

"Your phone was going off nonstop, so I read your texts," David, one of the medical assistants said.

"She's back by nine every night, so I was worried something happened," Rachel explained to him.

"What time is it now?" I asked.

Rachel tore her eyes off David long enough to look at me. "Two in the morning," she said.

"Shit!" I said loudly, causing people to look at me. "I was supposed to…"

David forcefully pushed me back down on the bench. "A lot of the on call staff were stuck in the traffic jam. As soon as that cleared they all came in and fixed up most of the people. Everything's fine now. Take the next couple days off, god knows we all need it."

"Nice to meet you," Rachel said with a shy smile.

"David nodded and pushed the automatic button for the door to open it for us.

When we were out in the cool night air I took a deep breaths to clear my lungs.

You look like you could use a drink," Rachel said. "Now that it's August, do you wanna go somewhere?

"I'm too tired," I said.

She laughed at that. "Yeah, sorry, I should've thought of that."

"Why did you text me so much?" I asked. I was truly curious. We weren't friends, simply two people who split the rent to save money.

"I was worried. I thought something had happened. Another few hours and I would've been ready to call the police. You're lucky David answered."

"No, I mean, why would you care to begin with?" I asked.

"I just do, now quit wasting time and get in the car," she snapped playfully.

I think that was the first time I'd ever truly smiled.


	5. Chapter 5

**Very sorry for the delay! This chapter is a bit longer than usual, so I hope it makes up for it a little. I have changed the title from "Hydra" to "The Immortal Hydra" for reasons. Thanks for reading!**

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I did take the next few days off. After going grocery shopping and buying some food (I had to or Rachel would get suspicious) I was back at the apartment in midafternoon struggling with the lock when I heard the sound I'd been dreading for months.

"You should've left the city, you ungrateful snit. Then again, you always did a half assed job of everything, didn't you?"

I closed my eyes, wondering if it was a dream, but I heard what I heard. Wishing something away did nothing. Drawing a deep breath I faced my mother. She was naturally a cruel woman, but the smell of alcohol that wafted over on her breath meant she would be worse, so much worse than usual. She rarely drank, but when she did it seemed as though her stomach was a bottomless pit and she'd drink more than what should be humanly possible.

"Leave," I said coldly.

I looked her dead in the eye. I wondered if she could tell how much I hated her. Then again, I hated myself as well. I hated how she could turn me so terrified with the sound of her voice. How part of me still wanted to flinch away from her at the faintest whisper of a threat. But the past few months changed me. I'd gained independence, recognition at work, even, maybe, a friend. I'd die before I'd let her take that from me. I was stronger now, not a scared little girl that would cower before her. Never again, I swore to myself. Never again.

"Get back here," she said and cursed at me when I sidestepped her lunge. She threw up her arm to block what would've been a fall and spun herself around drunkenly to look back at me.

Rage, pure and simple. That was all I was at the moment. I'd never felt such pure rage before, because whenever I had felt the anger, most of it was directed at myself. But this time, I only had one target.

"Leave," I said again.

There was a strange feeling in my chest, of power, anger, as well as a strange lightness, but I didn't look too closely on it because at that moment a cold drop of something landed right on my head. I jumped and looked up, my mother did as well. The sprinkler above me dropped another drop of water. Seconds later I saw another drop forming, but this time I was ready. I stepped back and cupped my hand so the drop landed in my outstretched palm.

"More," I commanded in a whisper.

Looking back I don't know why I did that, but it worked. The drops increased in tempo, all landing in my palm. When I had enough water to hold in the palm of my hand I raised my hand and curled my fingers so they dipped into the small puddle in my palm. That's when I felt it. Not the power, or the rage, but the rightness. The trueness of the action. I uncurled my fingers and balanced the ball of water on my fingertips.

"What the-" my mother said.

I tried the door and saw that it was unlocked, so I threw it open with my right hand and dragged my mother behind me, kicking it closed with my foot. I grabbed the front of her shirt with my fist and brought her face very close to mine. The rage was back, but it was a calm rage. I'd once promised myself I'd make her suffer, and I had. She rarely drank when I was living with her, and wouldn't dare go out drunk. She was all about appearances.

"Oh mommy darling, you've really let yourself go, haven't you?" I asked in a soft voice. She said nothing. "I told you to leave twice."

"What are you?" she asked.

"I was going to kill myself in December, you know. When the particle accelerator exploded. I was in the Bay. It changed me. So to put it shortly, I have no idea what I am," I said with a false smile. "But I do know that if you come near me again, I will put water over your mouth and nose, you know what that's called?"

She shook her head quickly.

"Dry drowning. You'll drown, right here, and I'll watch and not do a damn thing. I don't even have to touch you, nobody will ever find out. It won't take much, a little bit in the lungs does wonders," I hissed.

"You're a killer!" she shrieked.

"I am what you made me," I snapped back and threw her back against the wall, making the breath in her body leave her in a gasp.

Her eyes were wide and for the first time in my entire life I saw that she was the one terrified of me. Of what I could do to her. The savage and animalistic part of me loved it.

"So you are going to leave me alone. If you see me in public, walk away. And if you go to anyone at work, yours or mine, about this, you know what I'll do, don't you? And don't bother telling anyone," I added with a real smile "because who would ever take you seriously?"

It was a threat she commonly used over the years, and I felt a sense of triumph as I could finally use her own words against her.

"So I'm going to tell you one last time," I warned. "Leave."

She bolted out of the room in seconds.

There was nothing in me but a sense of peace in me. I'd finally won, after all these years. I could get on with my life by myself. I plucked the ball of water off my fingers with my right hand and held it between my index finger and thumb. Briefly, I wondered why I wasn't freaking out like I was the other two times something happened to me. The only explanation I could think of was that it felt right. This, was right. Out of curiosity I walked to my room still holding the ball of water and looked at myself in the mirror.

It wasn't something I usually did, but I studied myself closely. Slowly, I relaxed. But I didn't relax fully, because there was something I needed to do. Looking myself in the eye I tried to feel what it felt like when my hand or leg got cut off. A warm, tingly sensation started in the pit of my stomach and spread outward and I gasped, looking at my hands. The ball of water was still in my hand, but my hand had become water as well. I looked at the mirror and stared at my reflection in shock.

My face was gone.

Instead there were shapes and curves like my face had, but it was clear water with a very, very slight tinge of blue. I reached up to feel my face with my hand, and was shocked to find that my face didn't immediately fall apart. It felt almost normal, except it was cool and firm to the touch.

The only truly disturbing thing was that my vision was changed a lot. I could focus on what was directly in front of me at the moment, but the edges of my vision were a twisting field of shapes and colors that were normally crisp and clean.

"AKIKO!" my name was shouted. It was accompanied by pounding on the door.

I willed myself to go back to normal, and surprisingly it only took about two seconds before I looked like a human again.

Pulling the door open slowly, I faced the pretend wrath of my roommate. "What?" I asked.

"Didn't you hear me calling you?" she asked impatiently. "Anyway, I got a group of friends together, and I promised you that drink, so let's go!"

"Rachel, really, I-"

"No excuses! You've been off work for days! Akiii, come onnn!" she groaned.

I sighed. "Let me grab my purse," I said.

She let out a whoop and danced away. "I'll let them know!"

"Them?" I asked quietly once it sunk in. "Rachel, who's them?"

"Just a group of friends I whipped up, nothing big, I promise!" she said.

I nodded silently and closed the door. So apparently my hearing was mostly shot when I was in…water form, for lack of a better term. Busying myself with finding my purse and changing my pants, I could somewhat ignore the part of me that was worried about the fact that I wasn't too worried. Doing what I did, with the water, myself, and my mother, felt right, even natural. It was as though there was a part of me that was always missing, and I'd finally found it.

Rachel banged on my door again and I sighed and grabbed my coat on the way out. She'd already called a cab and chattered excitedly while she was getting changed into a short and sparkly red dress. It was rather hot outside, so I just wore cutoff jeans and a t shirt. When the cab came she gave him the name of the bar and squealed excitedly, lightly smacking me a few times.

"You've already started, haven't you?" I asked.

"A little?" she asked back.

"That wasn't a question, was it?" I clarified.

"Maybe?" she asked.

I sighed and let her talk the rest of the way. I did perk up when she mentioned the name of someone I knew.

"And David said…"

"Wait, David?" I asked.

She rolled her eyes at me. "Duh, David, you know, the hottie from the hospital?"

I didn't quite know which was more horrifying, the fact that it looked like she and David were working on something romantic, or the fact that she called my coworker a hottie.

"anyway, he said that this bar is like, the best, and we totally need to go check it out, and when I told him it was your first drink, he was all 'all her rounds are on us', you know? He's really nice, you know, super thoughtful." She said this with her eyes wide and nodding like a bobble head doll.

Well if that wasn't vaguely nauseating, I didn't know what was. David was sort of decent, but I wasn't really sure I wanted to have to check twice before entering my apartment.

Rachel paid the cab driver and exited the car, letting the humid air practically smack me in the face. I sighed and followed her. When we walked in after Rachel getting way to excited about me being carded at the door, a corner of the bar greeted us and it was clear that Rachel's idea of "nothing big" and mine differed vastly. There was about ten people already there, all laughing and roughhousing.

"Guys, this is Akiko, I told you about, and we are all going to chip in for her first drinks! Where's the money?" she asked and glared at everyone. In a flurry of movement there was a stack of one and five dollar bills produced. "Would you like to choose or would you like me to pick for you?" she asked.

I shrugged, a little self-conscious at all the eyes on me. "You can pick something," I said.

"Two margaritas with ice, please!" she asked the bartender.

He nodded and got to work. Rachel took the time to introduce me to Steph, Kim, Latonya, Michael, josh, and the twins, Evan and Devin.

"You're half Asian, right?" Kim asked me.

"Japanese," I said. She was Asian herself, and spoke with a mild accent.

"Korean, just wanted to let you know to stay safe, okay?" she said. "You're new around here, people might try to mess with you, tell me if you need help, alright sis?"

"Yeah, thanks," I said and offered a smile. "I'll be sure to."

When a server came over with our drinks, Rachel beamed and gave her twenty dollars. "Thank you!" she said with a giggle. "Now, a toast!" she announced to the table. "To Akiko, may the next twenty one years of your life be filled with margaritas? Does anyone have anything else to add?"

"To the streak?" Steph volunteered.

"You nerd," one of the guys said.

"What? It's cool!" she defended herself.

I cautiously took a sip of the drink, and just about coughed it up. The salt was bitter and the drink burned my throat. Rachel cheered and practically poured her drink down her throat without any coughing whatsoever.

"Goodness," I said under my breath.

"Who wants shots?" one of the twins asked.

Of course Rachel wanted them and a few other people placed their orders. They carried on conversation easily, and I looked around the bar for the first time. It was well lit, with a good sound system playing rock music softly in the background, with people milling around and talking. There was one man who looked very troubled, with his head in his hands and running through his hair. But that wasn't what interested me. It was the people behind him. A red haired woman and dark haired man had arrived, and were talking to him. But the dark haired man had a S.T.A.R labs shirt on.

"Akiko?" someone asked. I reluctantly turned away. "How's your drink?" one of the twins asked.

"It's alright," I said and forced down another sip. When I tried to be stealthy and look back at the guy with the shirt, I saw that he was leaving. "I'll be back," I said and sat up slowly.

The man at the bar was staring at the ceiling and not at me, which was good. I followed the man out the back door at a distance, thankful for the shadows. He was still, talking to the woman in a hushed tone. They hugged briefly, before the woman walked to the front of the bar, her heels clicking on the pavement. The man sighed loudly, scuffed his shoe against the ground and started toward his car. I peeked around the side of the building, the parking lot was mostly empty and the woman had left.

I jogged silently up to the man and placed my hands on his shoulders, facing away from the car. Gripping his arms tightly, I held him immobile. His sudden increase in breathing was audible. Before he could speak, I butted in.

"Don't turn around."


	6. Chapter 6

**Finally, an update! wooo! thanks for reading, and reviews are very appreciated!**

**TRIGGER WARNING FOR DEATH AND VIOLENCE NEAR THE END OF THIS CHAPTER**

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"What do you want? My wallet? My car? Take one, or both, or-" he started babbling, and I cut him off.

"I don't want anything like that. I just want to ask a few questions," I stated. I pitched my voice a bit higher than normal, just in case.

"What? There's nothing special about me! I'm boring, so incredibly boring, and I…"

I sighed and rubbed my forehead as he kept talking. This was going to take a while. "Shut up!" I snapped. He did.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"What? You don't even know my name? You come at me like something in a spy movie and you don't even know my name?"

"Just answer the question."

"Cisco Ramon."

"Did you work at S.T.A.R Labs before the explosion?" I asked.

"Yes, and I still do, Doctor Wells really just made an honest mistake, and he's actually a really nice guy."

"Shut up, and answer the damn questions," I repeated myself.

He shut up, and for the first time I think I truly appreciated silence.

"Do you know anything about that red streak people can't shut up about?" I asked. Most other people hadn't made any connection, but the sightings had all happened after the explosion, and there was really nothing else suspicious going on in town. Also, I'd changed after the explosion, so it wasn't too far of a leap to think that it might've happened to other people, just in other ways.

"Yes," he said. He sounded distinctly nervous, and for the first time kept his answer short.

"Is it really a person?" I asked.

"Yes," he said.

"Did they get their ability from the particle accelerator explosion?" I asked.

He paused and kept silent.

"People can't move that fast normally," I went on. "It's something that could probably have happened from that explosion. I don't have anything against whoever it is."

"He did get his ability from the explosion." He said. "Did something happen to you, during the explosion?"

"Yes, it did." I admitted. It was oddly freeing, having someone else know that I might not even be human anymore.

"What happened?" he asked.

I sighed. "I don't feel comfortable telling anyone."

"Are you going to hurt people?" he asked.

"Absolutely not!" at first I was shocked that he thought I'd hurt anyone, but then again, I'd kept what could only be described as a semi-death grip on his wrists this entire time. It wasn't an illogical conclusion. "I work in health care," I explained. "Of course I don't want to hurt anyone." not anyone who didn't deserve it, anyway.

He nodded. "I believe you," he said.

"I don't really think that you do, but okay," I said. "Are there others? Who were changed and hurt people? That's why you thought I was going to hurt people, wasn't it?"

"Yes, there are others, and he's been stopping them as they pop up," he answered. It was true, there were stories of strange things happening- tornados, explosions, and a shocking uptick in robberies. There was a lengthy pause. "If you are really sure about not hurting anyone, you might want to drop by S.T.A.R Labs. We'd be happy to help you," he said.

I let go of his arms. "No, I don't want that."

"That's fine. Please, take this business card," he said, slowing moving his hand into his pocket and offering me a crumpled business card. Cisco Ramon, Engineer. "The number on there is my cell phone number. Goes directly to me, and if you want me to, I won't tell anyone." He finished.

"I'll think about it," was all I said. There was an even longer pause before he spoke again.

"Well, if that's all…"

"It is."

"You know where to find me if you need anything," he said. He was probably a very kind person. I felt bad for scaring him.

"I do, and that will be all. Thank you."

He took that as a cue to start turning around and I quickly stopped him.

"Don't turn around for ten seconds. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about this," I said.

"Okay, of course, yeah," he said. "One Mississippi, two Mississippi," he started.

I ran back to the bar. Before he hit the ninth one, I looked back and saw that he really hadn't moved at all. I slipped back through the crowd, and back to the table of people.

"Where did you run off to?" Rachel slurred slightly as she talked. "Day day is here!" David looked very embarrassed to be called "Day Day" but Rachel didn't notice.

"I needed some fresh air, and it looks like you need to get back to the apartment," I said. Looking around, I saw that most of the group had dispersed, either to the stage where a local band that wasn't too good at doing anything besides screaming was playing, or they had already left.

"I'll take her, if you want to get going," David said. "You're working shifts for a few more days, aren't you?"

"Evenings in urgent care for the next few days," I said.

He chuckled. "Well you have my apologies in advance," he said.

I gave Rachel a tight smile, and said that I'd call the police if she wasn't in the apartment tomorrow morning. David looked slightly terrified, which made me a little happy. The street around the bar was lively and well lit, and there were people dancing and playing guitars around the corner. The closer I got to the apartment the quieter the environment was. It was almost creepy, the silence. But in another way it was peaceful. Everyone, or mostly everyone, had gone to sleep, and I felt like I was the one person watching the world go by.

I let myself into the building, awkwardly waving at a few people I kind of recognized. When I closed the apartment door behind me I dug Cisco Ramon's card out of my pocket. I rubbed the card a few times as I decided what to do with it before eventually putting it in my wallet. I might need to eat my words someday. I picked up my mail that Rachel had put into a pile on the coffee table before stopping in my tracks at the letter that was addressed to me.

"What the?" I asked myself. It was from Central City College, School of Nursing. Was it some sort of a joke?

I tore open the envelope, and unfolded the letter inside. There was a sticky note, with the words "CALL ME" in bold handwriting, and a phone number underneath. I recognized the last four digits as my clinical instructor's, but wondered why I needed to call her. As I unpeeled the note, my eyes scanned over the body of the letter.

"Dear Ms. Kimura, we are happy to let you know that you have been accepted into our Licensed Practical Nurse to Registered Nurse bridge program."

The letter went on to explain things like the duration of the program (one academic year or nine months), the cost (minimal, considering I was making decent pay, splitting rent with another person, and not needing to eat food), and who to call if I had any questions. I shook my head and dialed my instructor, hoping she was up this late. From what I remembered, she worked night shifts at Oakbrook Nursing Center, a hospice center. After I dialed, I drifted back to my bedroom and closed the door behind me.

"Amy Summers," she answered.

"Hello, its Akiko," I said, and apparently that was all she needed before launching into a brilliant sales pitch.

She explained that enrollment in the bridge program offered at the college was dropping steadily for years, and was much lower than usual, prompting the dean to ask instructors to volunteer students they knew for the program. Of course participation wasn't mandatory, but Amy really wanted me to go.

"You did so well in class, and you did mention you wanted to advance, didn't you? You don't have to do this if you want to, but this would really be a great opportunity for you," she finished.

I did want to advance, and originally I was hoping to get my RN license, but I settled for the LPN one in order to escape my crushing house as soon as I could. My pay could theoretically go up by 50% and I'd be able to do higher responsibility work. And the truth was, I wanted to do this, I wanted to go as far as I could. I was good at what I did. I'd be good doing this too.

"I'll take it," I said.

"I knew you would!" Amy said with an obvious smile in her tone.

She gave me instructions on signing up for classes, telling me to hurry because the term started in a month. After I hung up, I realized that I had a huge smile on my face. I could get used to this feeling, I thought to myself before booting up my computer and logging onto the school website.

I signed up for classes and paid my tuition. Ordering the textbooks was more difficult, considering the bookstore is probably one of the outer rings of hell, but I went through it. Halfway through, Rachel came back with someone else who was insistent that she drink water and take aspirin. Her snores started up almost as soon as the person left, and I tiptoed out of my room to lock the door. I also made my way over to the window that overlooked the street. We were a few floors up, but the fire escape was on the outside, so theoretically someone could use that to break in. the locks were secure and I took a few moments to stare out at the quiet street.

Then I saw it.

In an instant, there was red lightning along the road. It faded almost as fast as it came but I saw it traveling down the street.

"Holy shit," I said.

All the stories were true! The blog that was dedicated to the Streak, those commentaries from people who swore they saw it and were even saved by it, it was all true. I blinked once, and could see the afterimage of the light on the back of my eyelids.

I tossed and turned all night, too full of adrenaline to go to sleep right away. I only got a few hours in before my alarm started blaring. I technically didn't need to go to work until three in the afternoon, so I re set the alarm and went back to sleep. By the time I woke up I felt almost human, surprisingly. I checked into work and was immediately bombarded with instructions from the charge nurse. I spent my entire shift running around giving IV's, medications, dressing wounds, and holding plastic baggies under people as they vomited.

"I need to move up," I complained to my coworker Diana at the end of the shift. I did work an extra two hours, and the overtime pay was great, but I was just so tired.

"Don't we all," she said ruefully as she shut her locker and tugged her purse over her head while simultaneously zipping up her jacket. She was out of there quickly, saying that her wife and son were waiting for her because it was family movie night.

"Goodnight!" she called and I waved back before tugging on my scarf to untangle it and pulling my hood over my head.

It was getting kind of cold out, and I could see my breath in plumes as I exhaled. The streets were silent at this time, save for an occasional honk of a car horn, and the few conversations of people who were still awake at this time of night. As I walked to the apartment building, the night was silent, except for that piercing scream that cut through the quiet.

This scream was not of laughter or excitement, but of pure and complete terror. I started running to the sound, weaving in and out of alleyways before I could hear the scuffle more clearly. There was another scream, and I slowly peeked around the corner to assess the situation. There were three men, and one woman. I saw a glimpse of her face and saw a large purple bruise blooming across her eye.

"Please, please," she was begging them. There was a sound of another hit connecting, and a groan.

I turned back quickly, so they wouldn't see me. What could I do? Looking around frantically, the fire hydrant, almost glowing yellow caught my eye. The water. Tying my scarf over the bottom half of my face before pulling my hood back on.

"Come on, come on," I muttered, reaching for the water.

The hydrant exploded, gushing water everywhere. Closing my eyes, I reached for some of the water. When I opened them, I was focused, and tugged on something inside my consciousness and the water rushed to me.

"What the?" a man asked as I emerged around the corner.

The woman tried to bolt at that moment, and screamed, this time in pain as one of the men put a knife in her shoulder. She lay on the ground, looking at me in fear and pain.

"What are you doing here?" one asked, stepping toward me.

"Killing you," I answered.

I threw one orb of water on his face, and it stuck. I grabbed two more from the flood of water from the hydrant and put them on the other two men. Most people in good health can hold their breath for forty five seconds or so, before the brain starts to feel the effects of oxygen deprivation. Even underwater, the brain will tell the lungs to expand for a breath, killing someone. After thirty seconds, one of the men dropped, and I saw him take a breath. He started twitching for a few moments before going still. His friends (colleagues?) saw this and rushed to me, one still holding a knife. I kicked one away, his head cracking on the pavement before turning to the other one. He put the knife in my stomach area, but for some reason, the adrenaline maybe, I had already shifted into liquid form. The knife went right through me and I didn't feel a thing.

He stared at me with real fear in his eyes before also falling to the ground.

The woman at this point was terrified, trying to crawl away while pulling the knife out of her body.

"Stop!" I said, rushing to her. She put a hand up, trying to shield herself the way I did the night I tried to die. "I'm not going to hurt you, okay?" I asked. "You're safe."

"Why?" she asked. She grimaced in pain as she spoke.

"Because … just because," I said. "Now I need you to do something. First, you can't pull out that knife. I'll call the paramedics soon."

"Yeah," she gasped.

"And second, I need you to check if they're dead," I said. "Please," I added.

"You did save my life, stranger," she said, resigned, and started to crawl over to the nearest body. I had stopped focusing on the water a few moments before and there were no longer formed orbs, just puddles around the faces of three unmoving men.

"No pulse," she said quietly as she backed away from the body of the man with the knife. I helped her to the other two, and they also had no pulses. I took a deep breath and drew the water to me, throwing it to the hydrant that was still gushing water everywhere.

"Don't move," I said and rushed to the payphone. My actions were just now sinking in and I fumbled with the quarters, dropping them everywhere. As I dialed the 9-1-1 I had to focus on my breathing.

"What is your emergency?" the voice calmly asked.

"There's a woman stabbed in the alley on Cedar Street, please hurry!" I said before hanging up.

"Wait!" the woman called as I exited the booth.

I cautiously made my way over to her while making sure my face was still covered. She grasped for my hand and held on like her life depended on it. "Thank you," she whispered.

I heard the sirens coming closer. "Make sure they check for internal bleeding and bruising on your organs. Ask for ultrasounds on your stomach and lower abdomen. You will probably go into surgery for the knife wound, you will need a blood transfusion. Make sure you tell everyone allergies to medications and anything else. Do not allow anyone to put antiseptic ointments on your cuts; that allows for bacterial growth under the skin. And please, don't tell anyone what really happened."

She nodded silently. The footsteps of the medics were closer and I knew there was no way out of this in my form I was in at that moment. Nobody could ever find out about this. I took a deep breath and looked to the sky, feeling my body drain away. My hands were vaporizing and soon I was gone.


	7. Chapter 7

**This is the chapter where Akiko goes to STAR Labs! thanks for reading!**

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One year later

My day just got a whole lot worse. So far today I'd had a bedpan, scissors, and a stapler thrown at me, I'd been screamed at, and one patient's family member had threatened to file a complaint against me. Thankfully the doctor had sworn to defend me against any accusations, because the family member was really only angry that I didn't get her a pillow, and had completely overreacted. And still, the world thought that there was still room for improvement on that.

"What is it?" I sighed into the phone.

"You need go get down here, right now," Cisco whispered.

"What's the rush, seriously, I've been training for like, a year on and off, and you never told me I need to go down there. Is there something wrong?" I asked.

"It's the Reverse Flash. Its Doctor Wells. All this time, he's been…never mind. Right now, he's probably going to kill The Arrow, Firestorm, and maybe hurt the Flash really, really badly. Extra help would be really great. So if you can, suit up and get down here," he said.

I froze in place as his words hit me. "Firestorm? And the reverse Flash is Harrison Wells? He did this?"

"Firestorm is the burning man, you might've heard of him? He said everything was part of a plan, something like that. Aki, please, I'm begging you," he said, his voice cracking in fear.

Over the past few months I'd grown fond of Cisco, and the work he did. He saved people, maybe not the way the Flash did, but he was brilliant, funny, and kind. That night I'd gone home and called him, telling him I'd killed three men who were hurting a woman, begging him not to tell anyone, and he'd calmed me down and agreed to meet me behind the library. Of course I'd been wary, but he understood me, and for the past few months whenever we could both have the time he'd been helping me train. I did tell him that if there was ever an emergency at S.T.A.R Labs I'd help, and he promised to only ask me if I absolutely needed to be there. Him calling me was a serious matter.

"I'll be there soon," I said, and hung up.

I didn't have a superhero name yet, because anything Cisco said I'd immediately reject. So far the names pitched were Water-Woman, Aqua Girl, and the Water Wonder. I had threatened to beat him up if he ever used those for me, and true to his word, he hadn't. He did insist that I have a suit though. One meeting about six months ago, he'd come with sketches of a turquoise blue armored suit with a helmet that concealed my face. I'd rejected that as well, pointing out that weapons didn't really work on me, because they'd pass right through, so what was the point of armor?

Instead, I'd insisted on this, my current suit. It was a scarlet red dress, with long sleeves and a skirt that trailed behind me on the ground. The upper body was the red, and the edges of the sleeves that covered my hand in a V shape were edged in gold embroidery. The skirt had many layers of yellows, oranges, and gold.

"I fight with water," I said. "I'm going to dress like fire."

When Cisco argued that the skirt was impractical, I said only that people should know that I'm a woman when I beat them. That shut him up quickly.

I slipped out of my work clothes hurriedly, discarding them and stepping into the dress. I tugged the sleeves on and zipped up the hidden zipper on the front. I put my hood on, and buttoned the face veil that covered the lower half of my face into the snap that was on the inside of my hood. I opened my bedroom door a few inches and walked to the other side of my room. Since I'd been training, I could shift forms more easily, and faster than I could before. Running to the window, I squeezed through the crack in liquid form and fell down to the ground. I went back into my human form quickly, running out to the street. Overall the street was quiet at this point of the night. There were a few cars on the road, and I shifted into my vapor form to hitch a ride on one. There was one going to the labs, so I attached to the roof and reformed. My feet were bare, so I didn't make much noise as I jumped and reformed onto two more cars.

Finally, I reached the chain link fence of S.T.A.R Labs. I shifted into liquid form and passed through, activating the microphone Cisco installed in my suit. "Okay, I'm here, where to next?" I asked.

"Great, thanks so much for doing this. They're around back, by the South Street entrance," he said.

"Who is that?" a woman's voice said.

"Extra help," I replied. I jogged over to the back, where I saw the Flash, a man on fire, and a man in a hood holding a bow and arrow facing me. Harrison Wells had his back to me.

"I don't care how fast you are, you can't fight all three of us at the same time!" the Flash said. He didn't have his mask on, and I could see his face, but ignored it for the moment.

"Make that four!" I said, turning the corner. The man with the bow drew it at me, but I felt no fear. "Cisco called, said you could use some help," I called out.

"The Immortal Hydra," Doctor Wells said with a distinctly evil laugh. "I like what you've done with your skirt."

I walked over to where the other men were. "This is going to be fun," Wells said. He held out his left hand, and his ring started to glow.

I reached out into the air and pulled out the atmospheric water vapor, making it condense into two orbs I held in each hand. The man next to me erupted in flames, and the Flash pulled on his mask, electricity crackling around him. The two speedsters rushed at each other in a whirl of red and yellow.

"Barry, move!" the Arrow yelled.

Firestorm snarled, and I raised one arm, prepared to throw.

"Aki, do not throw anything!" Cisco said.

"I can't get a clear shot anyway!" I cried.

"Don't do the ice thing yet!" he added. I could also condense the water in my hand down into shards of ice, but I knew better than to do that now.

"Calm down, I'm not completely stupid!" I snapped back.

"Who is she?" the woman asked.

"The Immortal Hydra,' I replied, using what Doctor Wells called me.

At that moment the Flash was slammed into the fence and thrown to the STAR Labs sign, glass shattering everywhere. The Arrow shot something at Wells' feet, temporarily immobilizing him, and then Wells moved his arms in a whirlwind motion and threw Firestorm back, causing him to fly through the air. I started toward him, but the Flash yelled, "I got it!" before rushing away.

"Nanites!" The Arrow said. "You're not going to be running anywhere for a while."

Wells looked at us and I froze, momentarily terrified by the hatred in his eyes. He pulled the arrow out of his calf and dropped it with a clink on the ground. Then he rushed at The Arrow, this time with normal speed. There were punches thrown and kicks connecting to flesh, but for some reason he seemed to be focused more on The Arrow than me. I threw some water at Wells, but they only just slowed him down. The Arrow threw Wells onto the pile of construction equipment, but then something strange happened. He started vibrating, and before I knew it his eyes were red again.

"Shoot him!" I called while grabbing another orb out of the air.

But in a flash of red electricity, he was gone. Suddenly The Arrow was on his back instead, hood off, and holy shit that was Oliver Queen.

"The history books said you live to be 86 years old, Mr. Queen. The history books were wrong," a demonic sounding voice said. Wells' arm started to vibrate, and he moved it toward Oliver's chest.

Concentrating, I compacted the orb of water into a smaller block of ice and threw it at Wells' head. There was a sickening crack as it connected, and he was thrown a few feet back. Oliver rushed to his feet and drew another arrow. There was a streak of red and then Barry and Wells were at it again, circling each other. Then the yellow streak broke away and moved up the building's side. The red one soon followed.

I started to move but a hand on my arm stopped me.

"We need to stay here," Oliver said, putting his hood back on. "I don't need to shoot you, do I?" he asked after a second of watching the red and yellow blurs circle the building a few times.

"That wouldn't do much good anyway," I said.

Suddenly Firestorm appeared in the sky, shooting flames to the roof. Wells was thrown off, landing on a car nearby, whose roof quickly shattered. He struggled go get up, but was still laughing by the time Oliver shot him in the shoulder with another arrow. I threw another bigger block of ice at him, just to be sure, and he fell off the car and onto the pavement, still with the arrow in him. Barry and the Firestorm came down from the roof, looking at the motionless body of a man who could move so fast.

"Thank you," Barry said.

"No problem," the Firestorm replied.

Oliver's hood had fallen off again, and Barry pointed that out. "Haircut and an outfit change? Are you alright?"

Oliver nodded. "Trying something different. I might need a favor soon, okay?"

"Wherever, whenever," Barry promised.

The two men moved away. "Thanks for your help," Barry said, turning toward me as he took off his hood. "any friend of Cisco's is a friend of mine." He held his hand out. "Barry Allen," he said.

I took a deep breath and unsnapped my veil, pulling the hood down before taking his hand. "Akiko Kimura," I said. "What's going to happen to him?"

"Let me take care of that. Why don't you go inside?" Barry asked.

Cisco and a woman rushed out at that moment. "Aki!" Cisco said. The woman was eyeing me warily, but I gave her a small smile and nodded. We all started to move into the building.

"Caitlyn Snow," she said. "Physician and geneticist."

"Registered nurse," I said back. She looked impressed.

"You might want to put him in the cell now," she called over my shoulder to Barry, who was carrying an unconscious Harrison Wells wedding style. It was actually kind of funny and I had to fight down my laughter. In a burst of color he disappeared down the hall.

"Cell?" I asked, looking at Cisco. 'So the 'safe place' thing is actually true? Weird."

Cisco looked sheepish.

"Well why don't you change into something more comfortable, and I'm sure we could find something for you to eat," Caitlyn said. "Keep your blood sugar up."

I chuckled. "About that…"


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you for reading! I've noticed that there haven't been any reviews lately, and if you could just shoot me a quick review on how you like the writing/plot, that'd be great! **

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I'd been helping out the team a little since I was introduced to them, mostly on fires, but also on the occasional theft and robbery. Barry and Caitlyn were more wary of me, but eventually they warmed up to me once they saw how much Cisco trusted me. I had let Caitlyn run some tests on me, and she informed me and the rest of the team that somehow during the night I tried to kill myself, the water fused into my cells, leaving them more aqueous than normal. Because of this, I couldn't handle food digestion, had to drink more water than normal, and like a balloon, every time I ran into something sharp, I kind of fell apart.

The first thing Caitlyn did was try to take a blood sample, and that hadn't gone well.

I was also introduced to Barry's childhood friend, a reporter named Iris who the team assured me was trustworthy and reliable. She immediately asked me for an interview, which made Barry cringe and apologize. I was leaning toward accepting the invitation, at the very least it would tell people not to shoot at me or call the police if I was in the middle of putting out a fire.

Two weeks after the incident at S.T.A.R Labs, Barry sent me a text, telling me to meet him at the labs when my shift was over. Checking my watch, I saw that I had two hours left and sighed. I loved my job, really, I did, but I'd be a liar if I said kicking bad guy ass wasn't more exciting than changing IV's and endless charting.

As soon as my shift was over I made a beeline for the bus station, barely making it in time. The ancient motor broke the silence of the bus, as there were only two other people on at this time of the night. I got off on the closest bus stop to S.T.A.R Labs, and shifted forms so I could be carried with the breeze. When I got above the parking lot, I condensed myself into liquid form to break the fall, then stayed in that form until I got in through the front door. On the way to the central meeting room, I ran into Caitlyn, who was going over some files. She shrieked, and the papers flew everywhere.

"I'm sorry!" I exclaimed. I had forgotten to shift forms, and I did so immediately.

She looked more embarrassed than anything. "So am I, really, I should be used to that by now," she explained, shaking her head.

We gathered the files into a haphazard stack and put them back into the folder. We chatted as we walked, mostly me complaining about patients who had no medical background whatsoever lecturing me on infection control, and her complaining about a particular experiment with words I could never understand not going the way she wanted it to go.

Barry and Cisco were already waiting for us, and Caitlyn and I shuffled in guiltily.

"Ladies, if you will," Cisco said, gesturing to the screens. He pulled up a map of Asia, then zoomed in on one section quickly before I could fully comprehend what exactly was going on.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Nanda Parbat," Barry answered. "If you remember The Arrow?"

"No, I've forgotten all about it," I said. Cisco snickered at that, and we high fived each other over the computer screen.

Barry sighed. "Oliver and I are good friends, we go a way back. He said he'd be asking for help, and now that time has come. There's an organization called The League of Assassins, and they are planning," he paused to gesture at Cisco. The screen split down the middle, and a map of Starling City comes up. "To harm Starling City. Oliver doesn't know exactly how yet, and for now he's going undercover and trying to get information out of the leader. But as of this minute, he and his team are trapped in Nanda Parbat. He's asked me to help rescue them, and Akiko, I'm asking you to help me."

The room fell silent. Obviously Caitlyn and Cisco were not informed of this.

"Me?" I asked. "Are you serious?"

"No," Barry said sarcastically. "I've been lying this whole time."

"I deserved that," I said. I mulled it over for a minute. Of course I wanted to go, but… "Do you trust me?" I asked. "I'm not going to do this if I don't know 100% that you trust me. I trust you, how could I not after all the good you've done, but I need to know that you have my back just as much as I'll have yours."

Barry nodded. "I didn't at first, but you've proven yourself. Every day you go to work, you're saving people, just in a different way than what I do. Cisco vouched for you, and you've more than proven yourself when we do work as a team," he said. "So yes, I do."

I sighed. "Let me call my boss, let her know I'll be out for a few days," I said.

Barry grinned. "Do it quickly!" was all he said as he ran down to the other end of the room to suit up.

"You're moving up in the ranks, Aki," Cisco said. "Don't get ahead of yourself."

I dumped a small pool of water on the back of his head in retaliation as I walked down the hall to phone my boss. Caitlyn gave me a thumbs up and offered Cisco a towel as I exited. I asked for five days off, thinking that should be a decent amount of time. As I walked back into the central room so I could get to my suit, I found Cisco and Caitlyn standing in front of my display, which was currently covered by a curtain.

"What's this?" I asked.

"We wanted to surprise you later, but now seemed as good a time as ever," Caitlyn said.

"She means we've made an adjustment to your suit," Cisco said. "We have the old one if you don't like it, and just don't lie and say you like it if you don't, that's all we're asking."

With that introduction the curtain dropped and I could only stare. The adjustments were minor, such as lifting the edge of the skirt in front of my feet a few inches above the ground so I could run easier, instead of having to grab it and keeping my hands busy when I could be throwing water at someone or something. The colors were also more toward the orange side, instead of the red it was before. The yellows and golds stood out more too, probably because of the glittery medium sized orange bow on my lower back, just above a new section of ruffles that flowed into the skirt.

"If you will direct your attention to the hem," Caitlyn said in a silly nasally voice while making an exaggerated gesture to the bottom.

I noticed there was a silver edging along the bottom, probably for the fraying of the skirt I had complained about. I had to constantly fix it now that it was getting more use than ever.

"It's made out of the same material as Barry's suit, so you'll never have to fix the bottom again," Cisco said.

I was speechless. It was beautiful, and practical, and everything I could've hoped for. It also meant I had people who were listening to the offhand comments I made, mostly to myself, and they cared about me enough to surprise me with a gift like this. I blinked once to hold off the tears that gathered in my eyes. Was this what it was like to have a family and friends?

"You said you wanted it more feminine," Cisco said, sounding disappointed that I hadn't said anything.

I shrieked. "I freaking love it!" I enveloped the two of them in a bear hug. "Thank you thank you thank you!" I said. "I'm just in shock!"

"Not really, you're bodily functions seem to be preforming normally, as normal as you can get, anyway," Caitlyn said.

I pulled back and made my face as bland as possible. "Was that really necessary?" I asked.

"Yes, it was, and you know it, sister," she said. "Now get changed!" she shooed me back into the area behind the display. I pulled the screen they installed down so I could have some privacy while I changed hurriedly.

"Did she like it?" he asked.

"I love it, I'm marrying it, and I'm obsessed with it!" I called.

His laugh was his only answer. I finished changing and folded my clothes and set them in a corner. When I exited, I was given a glass of water as Barry explained the transportation issue to Nanda Parbat. We would be running there. Barry was confident that we could get it done in about two hours. Caitlyn did say that there were backup plane tickets, in case I was too nervous to be transported with Barry, but I refused.

Barry and I found a way to go places together, but at his speed. We'd start off by me hanging onto his shoulders and him carrying me piggyback style. Then, I'd slowly dissolve, but stay in the currents around his feet and legs. When we got to a place, he'd stop, and I'd condense into liquid form before being thrown a few yards forward. It never hurt me, it was more disorienting than anything else, and when we practiced on the treadmill at STAR Labs, I could stay in my vapor form indefinitely.

"This will be my first time out of the country," I said absentmindedly.

"Really?" Barry asked. "I've only been to Canada once, no, make that twice, there was a pretty interesting CSI conference I went to about three years ago. It's too bad we can't do the touristy stuff, isn't it?"

I laughed, imagining us in our suits shopping for souvenirs. With that, we waved goodbye to Caitlyn and Cisco and we were off. When I was in that form, time had little to no meaning, and I simply existed. My body did seem to have abnormally strong polar bonds with itself, so I didn't have to worry about dissolving and ceasing to exist completely. After a while, Barry stopped, which stopped the currents of air, snapping my consciousness out of its trance. I was thrown forward and solidified as quickly as possible, adjusting my face covering.

"It's cold," I said.

"Sorry I didn't warn you," Barry said. "I'm going to ask Cisco for directions, okay?" He quickly pressed a button on his earpiece and waited.

"Hey guys!" Cisco's voice came through my microscopic earpiece as well.

"We made it!" I said.

"We need further directions," Barry explained.

I kind of tuned Cisco out as I realized how thirsty I was. Bending down, I picked up a handful of snow and shoved it into my mouth. Barry looked at me strangely, but when I pointed to my neck he seemed to understand. The snow helped somewhat, and after a few handfuls I did feel better. We both signed off together and then I asked the question that was on my mind since we started.

"You do know where we're going, right?" I asked nervously.

"Do you doubt the hero of Central City?" he asked with a cocky grin.

"Considering the fact you didn't answer with a 'yes' and you're referring to yourself in the third person, I have to say I really do doubt the hero of Central City," I said.

"Relax Aki," he said. "I do know where I'm going."

"Thank you," I said.

"Kind of," he amended.

"What?!" I asked

"I'm joking! I do know where I'm going, okay?" he asked.

"You are so lucky I promised I'd trust you," I groaned.

"You ready?" he asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be!" I said.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9! Thanks for reading! If anyone is interested, I've started an iZombie and Twilight series called "Exit, Pursued by a Zombie" so check it out please! :)**

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When Barry stopped running again, it took me a few moments longer to condense. It was snowing a little bit, and I grabbed a few more bites of snow to settle my stomach. By the time I could stand again I was significantly less dizzy and was ready to go.

We were hidden behind some rocks, and Barry was looking over my shoulder at the huge palace that was tucked away in this area of the world. It was brightly lit, and there were many people in black uniforms stationed at the big entrance.

"We're taking the side door," Barry whispered. "Oliver gave me the instructions. I have to run around this place a few times to break the sound barrier, then we can go in and rescue them. Sound good?"

I rubbed my head. Why was I getting a headache now of all times? "Yeah," I answered.

Barry set off, the red and orange streaking across the ground. With one final boom, the streak entered the building. I took off running, lifting my skirts in my hand and following the rapidly fading color. One person stabbed me through the chest, and I shoved them off and pushed the knife the rest of the way out of my body, and with a clatter, it fell to the floor.

"That was beyond rude!" I yelled. They backed away, making hand gestures that looked like they were meant to ward off evil. I followed the trail of unconscious or tied up people. My head was pounding more steadily now, but I kept going. Somewhere in the melee, I had lost Barry.

"Flash?" I called out.

"Down here Hydra!" Barry called. Thank goodness, I thought I took a wrong turn.

I picked up my shirts again and speed walked a few steps further. Suddenly, my stomach dropped and I had to hold on to the wall for support. Was I getting sick? It couldn't be, Caitlyn said my cells were so aqueous that they were literally always full to bursting. That's why I had to drink so much water, because my body was constantly making new cells. Because of this, no virus or bacteria could grow in my body, and I could go the rest of my…existence without getting sick.

I stood back up and squared my shoulders, fixing my face veil and turning the corner to see Barry at the front of what could only be described as a dungeon cell. There were a few people inside, who were waving to Barry.

"This is the Hydra," Barry said, introducing me. I waved and a few waved back. "We'll get you guys out of here, I promise," he said.

I bent forward to inspect the lock. "I could freeze some water, maybe around the hinges too? That might break the door." The door was huge, with iron bars running vertically and horizontally. It would be difficult to break through, but I could give it a shot.

"I think if I vibrate the beams enough the door should just fall apart," Barry said.

Another short burst of nausea made me hold onto the wall. "Sounds like a good idea," I forced out.

"Are you okay?" Barry whispered.

"Sometime today please!" a man called.

"We're getting back to STAR Labs as soon as possible," Barry said with a worried expression. His plan to break the door worked, and three men and two women piled out.

"What took you so long?" a dark haired man in a suit demanded.

Barry wrapped an arm around my waist. "This place is wrong," I gasped out. There was something off about this, and it was making me sick, physically.

"We need to get out of here," Barry said.

I pushed myself up. "I can walk out myself," I said. "But I honestly don't think I can run back with you."

"You're a speedster?" a blonde woman asked.

"Felicity, come on, look at her suit," the other woman said.

"We have a plane," the dark haired man said, looking at me closely.

The brunette woman scoffed. "Don't trust that asshole," she warned me. "If you're taking the plane, watch your back."

The dark haired man waved the others over as he started his way down the hall. Barry moved to follow but decided to stay back with me. I waved him off weakly. "Maybe a little walking will help."

Reluctantly, he followed the others to a room full of weapons. Everyone was grabbing something, like a machine gun or bows.

Felicity turned when we walked in. she looked exceptionally frazzled. "Not to be greedy, but we could use your help with this," she said to Barry.

"Help with what?" I asked.

"There's a bioweapon headed for Starling City," a burly man added. "John Diggle," he introduced himself with a nod.

I nodded weakly. "And you're going to stop it?" I asked. I regretted that question as soon as it exited my mouth. Of course they were going to stop it!

"I would love to, but I'm so overdue for a pointed conversation with Harrison Wells," Barry said. He told me that Wells had killed his mother, and that he could time travel a bit, but I tried not to pry. Barry would tell me something if he wanted to, but constantly pestering him wouldn't do any good. "Besides, I'm sure Oliver's got this," Barry added.

John did something with a handgun that made a snapping noise. "I wouldn't count on it," he said darkly.

"He wasn't forthcoming with his plans lately," the brunette said while glowering. She fixed her mask and I had to fight my fangirl squeal of excitement. The Black Canary!

"Would you mind if I tagged along?" I asked. All pairs of eyes swiveled to me.

"With all due respect, you really don't look well," a man said. He looked very familiar, then I placed him to be Ray Palmer. His ideas for medical technology were amazing, but the doctors always complained about his plans to overhaul the health care industry as a whole.

"I'll be fine once I leave," I answered. "I need to head back outside, there's something about this place giving me the creeps," I whispered to Barry. "Let me know if I'm invited, I'll be outside," I called to them before I turned around.

Slowly, I walked out of the building, but I couldn't make it the entire way. There was a huge wave of water headed right for us.

I shoved Barry out of the way as adrenaline flooded my body. I ran a few steps back and summoned some water vapor from the air and formed it into an ice block about as tall as I was, and dragged Barry behind it so the water crashed into the ice. It ran to the side. Grabbing more water vapor, I made another ice block, this one across the ground and jumped on it.

"This is wrong," I said. "It's the water, that's what's making me sick."

"Do you feel better now?" Barry asked.

"Not really, it's mostly adrenaline," I said. With a final push, I hopped down from the block and ran toward the nearest exit. Before I left, I saw that the water started receding. The fresh and cold air helped a lot, and the further I got away from the palace, the better I felt.

"Are you sure you're alight?" Barry asked.

I ate a few handfuls of snow and nodded. I no longer felt like I needed to throw up, and the further away from the palace I got, the more my headache went away.

"Hey! Barry!" Felicity called. We turned around and saw her leading the people out into the cold. "The plane's down here, if you're coming."

We walked down to where everyone else was standing. Barry still hovered slightly, and I waved him off. I was mostly back to normal.

"We've decided that you may come with us to Starling if you'd like. Barry here seems to trust you, and that's good enough for most of us," John Diggle said.

"Thank you," I answered. Turning back to Barry, I hugged him tightly for two seconds before releasing him. "Give him hell," I said.

He gave me a mock salute and with a burst of lightning, he disappeared.

"I will never get used to that," John said.

"I don't think I have yet," I said. I lifted my skirt up a bit as we climbed over tree roots and branches, and as we ascended the hill nobody made too much small talk. The silence was a bit unnerving. "Does anyone mind filling me in a bit on what's going on?" I asked timidly.

The Black Canary sighed. "You know that Oliver is the Arrow?"

"Well I do now," I replied.

She only looked furious and didn't say anything else.

"Relax, I already did. I was there when he, Firestorm, and Barry were fighting the Reverse Flash," I said. "Apparently I wasn't too bad."

"Well this is the headquarters of the League of Assassins, a multinational group that kills people, as the name suggests. The leader, Ra's al Ghul wanted Oliver to take his place. Oliver refused at first, but then agreed for some reason. It turns out that this was all a trap, a plan between him and Malcolm," she nodded at the dark haired man "to trick Ra's into believing that Oliver was going along with the plan. Its tradition for the new head of the League to destroy his or her home city. Because of this tradition, Ra's is on his way to Starling with something called the Alpha Omega, it's a bioweapon. Thousands of people could die."

"That reminds me!" Felicity said suddenly. "We need to get her vaccinated."

"Not a problem," I said. "I can't get sick with either a viral or bacterial infection."

Everyone paused for a moment to stare. "What?" I asked defensively.

"I can't get used to the idea of metahumans," John said after a pause.

I took a few more steps and stopped because everyone else had. At the bottom of the hill was a huge airplane. It was black, and looked almost like a military plane.

"I'll fly us to Starling," Malcolm said. He took a breath and looked around at us. "What are we waiting for? Let's move!"

Everyone huffed a bit and started picking their way down. The slope looked almost treacherous, and was littered with rocks that were hidden under the snow. Felicity kept stubbing her toe and cursing at random moments. I stayed back for a minute, looking at the ground and how far away the plane was.

"Hydra? Are you coming?" someone asked.

I looked up and saw Ray Palmer looking at me quizzically. Nobody was too far down the hill, it was dangerous to move quickly in these conditions.

"Yeah, I'm just thinking," I said. I could probably shift into my more solid liquid form and roll down the hill. It was easier, and if there were any sharp branches, or a surprise boulder, I could just let it pass through me. I could also probably create a slide of some sort, for the others to slide down. It would make everything faster, especially if we have no time to lose.

"Do you need help?" he asked. He offered a hand out to me. I shook my head, smoothing over my face veil.

"Hey everybody! Stop moving for like two minutes!" I called out. Everyone turned to stare at me yet again.

Malcolm seemed the most irritated. "Look, Hydra, we have no time to spare!" he said. "It's not our fault you have no adequate gear for this! What else did you expect from a costume like that?"

What a dickhead. I reached out toward him, and with a little nudge the snow around his feet solidified into ice. He couldn't move, no matter how hard he tugged.

"My gear is more than adequate," I snapped at him. "Now, if everyone would stop moving for two minutes, I think I have a plan to get us down there faster. Also, if anyone looks up my skirts I will end you."

I kneeled down into a sitting position and smoothed out the bunches in my skirt so my straightened legs wouldn't be tangled in them. I laid down so I was horizontal, my back flat on the ground. With one hand securing my skirt, I shifted into my liquid form and shifted so I rolled down the hill. It was dizzying, the turning and tossing. Suddenly, with a slam, I stopped. It took a moment to have the world stop spinning, and when it did I sat up and looked up the hill. Everyone was staring, but I supposed I should have gotten used to that.

Standing slowly, I checked to make sure I was completely reformed before walking back to the entrance of the plane, in the back. I took a deep breath and used the snow to create an ice ramp that extended to a few feet in front of Felicity.

"Slide down!" I called.

She cautiously made her way down to the start of the ramp. She sat down and gripped the sides tightly.

"You have to let go!" I called.

She scrunched up her face and let go, landing in a heap at my feet in about three seconds. I helped her to her feet just in time for John to come down. He waved off my help and moved away just in time for the Black Canary and Ray Palmer to come down, one right after the other. Malcolm was the last one, only managing to free his feet at the last minute. He landed on his feet with surprising dexterity.

"Now everyone, lets-" he began but stopped as I walked toward him and looked him in the eye. I was a few inches shorter than him, but I didn't back down.

"You make fun of my dress again and the next think I freeze will not be your feet," I threatened.

There was a moment of silence before the Black Canary had a coughing fit. Then I realized how someone could have taken what I just said.

"Ew! No! I meant his fingers, you sicko!" I backtracked. "Don't be disgusting!"

The positive side of that was everyone was laughing as we boarded the plane.


End file.
